


Day 119

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [119]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:49:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Relationships: Jansen/Wanda
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [119]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257





	Day 119

Varric was in his usual room at the Hanged Man, drinks and cards passed all around. When Hawke had dropped a bag of coins into Jansen’s hands, Varric had expected the man to either retire to the countryside or blow the lot in a week of drinking and gambling. Varric was happy to be wrong. Being wrong was always interesting.

Jansen and Wanda sat across from Varric, each with a hand of cards and a drink. Wanda had a baby strapped to her chest, which normally would have been a deal-breaker for Varric. Babies were ugly, smelly and noisy which meant they offended three of Verric’s five senses (if he had any stone sense he was reasonably sure babies would find some way of fouling that up too.) However, they were also coming with a business proposal and as Jansen was the last person in the world Varrec expected to have a decent business idea he absolutely had to hear them out.

They seemed hesitant at playing Wicked Grace for actual money but Varric had assured them it was how all business was done and let them restrict the best to copper bits. They already had one of the most important aspects of business down pact: Don't risk money you can’t afford to lose.

“So,” Varric began, “What is your grant idea?”

“Well Master Tethris,” Jansen replied. Varric held up a hand to stop him. 

“Please,” Varric said. “Master Tethris is my father. If we’re going into business together, call me Varric.”

“Varric,” Jansen started again, “before I was kidnapped by the malefi- the blood mage I started using me savings to work as a moneylender.”

“No shit?” Varric was impressed. It took guts to work as a moneylender. Or a profound lack of sense “How did that go?”

“Horribly,” Jansen admitted. “Look at me. Do you think anyone thought they had to pay me back if they didn't want to? I had lost all the money by the time the mages took me.”

The baby started fussing and Wanda put her cards down so she could adjust her dress and allow the child to nurse. Classic mistake. You never took your hands AND eyes off your cards in a game of wicked grace. Varric refrained from messing with anything for now, but this couple was going to need some serious lessons before he could release them into the world of business.

“So what is it that you want from me?” Varric asked.

“We want to be smart this time,” Wanda said. “We want to help people who need it but we don’t have your experience.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Varric said. “But I don’t think you have enough coins to get going. It might seem like a lot to you but the big money is in lending to marchants and the nobility. The people who can pay you back with interest. Plus you need enough spare coins to match whatever bribes the clients make to city officials not to enforce your loans and still turn a profit. Not to mention personal security.”

“What if we don’t want to lend to the big arrogant nobles,” Wanda asked.

“No offence,” Jansen supplied hurriedly.

“Small loans are tricky,” Varric said. “You need high interest to turn a decent profit there and most people can’t pay no matter what you do. That’s why you get so many vicious lenders who go around breaking legs and things. You need people afraid of you. You don’t strike me as people with the stomach for that.”

“See,” Jansen said, turning to his wife. “We should just buy that farm. We can’t help anyone if we lose all our money.” Wanda glared as Jansen and the man abruptly stopped talking.

“I’m not interested in making a fortune or in extracting every last copper from people with barely anything to start with. What I’m talking about is lending just enough money so that people can start their own business or shop. Not a reckless investment or get rich quick scheme and only in markets where there is a need not being met. Safe bets but in markets too small for people with money to bother with. There is a lot of need that no one cares about because they can’t make money off of it.”

She almost sounded like a Quniari. As much as Varric would protest otherwise, he knew how the world worked. People with no money didn’t spend money and when everyone had money everyone benefited. There was an argument to be made for helping others, as long as you could also help yourself.

“You would have to be very careful in who you lend to,” Varric said. Wanda nondded. “If you want people to pay you back, interest will have to be low.”

“About seven per cent,” Jansen said. “That’s half the average.”

“Half the average on big loans”, Varric corrected. “If you want my help we’ll charge at least ten. I’ll take fifty percent of the profits as you’re consultant and I get veto power over who we lend to.”

“Deal,” Jansen said.

“Andraste’s tits we need to work on your haggling,” Varic sighed, “I’ll take twenty-five percent so I don’t feel too guilty. I’ll insure you on your first few loans free of charge but after that we’ll work out a fair rate. We need to work on details of security but your idea is novel enough that I’m willing to give it a shot.”

The three of them shook hands and got down to the really boring stuff that Varric absolutely loathed. It was times like this when he almost missed Bartrand.


End file.
